Prawns with aioli

fresh prawns, deveined, shells on, heads removed
generous handful fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 red chilis, deseeded, crushed
olive oil
sea salt
lemon juice

 ~aioli~
1t Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk
1t lemon juice
1t vinegar
2 cloves crushed garlic

125ml olive oil
125ml rapeseed oil

First, make the aioli by putting all the ingredients (except the oils) into a bowl and mixing with a handheld beater. Gradually drizzle in the oils, letting the mayonaise thicken as you go. If it gets too thick, add another squeeze of lemon juice or some cold water.

Heat some oil in a frying pan or wok and add the garlic and chili. Stir for 10 seconds or so and then add the prawns, tossing as they cook. Once done, add the parsley, a squeeze of lemon and some Maldon.

Serve with lemon wedges, aioli and avocado.

sunday night salad

rocket
2 slices stale sour dough or ciabatta bread, cut into 2cm chunks
1/2 butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
2 red chilis, deseeded and cut in half
1 red onion, cut into 0.5cm wedges
4T sunflower seeds
2T pumpkin seeds
2T walnut pieces
200-400g cooked chicken, shredded
200g broad beans, cooked, skins removed, tossed in a little oil and lemon juice

~dressing~
4T lemon juice
1T balsamic vinegar
10T olive oil
Maldon
black pepper
1t sugar
1T Dijon mustard

Put pumpkin, chili and onion into baking tray and toss in olive oil and salt. Put in hot oven (180C) and bake for 10-20 minutes, shaking every 5 minutes. Add the bread for the last 5 minutes or so. Once the pumpkin is cooked and the bread is toasted, remove from oven and set aside to cool. Chop cooked chilis into small pieces and return to mixture.

Toast the seeds in a dry pan with some salt until slightly browned.

Put all ingredients into a serving dish and toss well with your hands. Mix dressing in a separate vessel, shake well and drizzle over salad. Toss gently to coat ingredients in the dressing. Serve.

lessons from the hutong: Sichuan pepper and chili oil

Sichuan pepper is not related to black pepper or to chili peppers. It is a pretty little red pod packing a curious heat that produces a humming, tingling and buzzing sensation on the tongue.

The art of choosing good Sichuan pepper from bad comes down to two things: colour (the redder the better) and state (open is good, closed is bad). 

~chili oil~

1 part dry chili (Sichuan pepper or chili flakes) to 3 parts vegetable oil (peanut, sunflower, rapeseed / canola)

To make this chili oil - which will last for ages, provided it is not contaminated with water - simply combine a small portion of the oil with the chili in a bowl. Heat the remaining oil in a wok until it starts smoking, then pour into the bowl containing the chili (use the receptacle that you'll keep the oil in). 

For added flavour, either add some sesame seeds and salt to the chili, or add some spring onion, ground walnut or ginger to the hot oil and remove and discard before adding the oil to the chili (the flavours will be infused in the oil).

lessons from the hutong: dan dan mian (noodles)

We cooked this simple noodle dish at the end of the day after we'd just consumed about 18 dumplings each - it was so delicious we managed to squeeze it in.

Despite the seemingly long list of ingredients, it's a quick and easy recipe.

There is one unusual ingredient in the dish which is a key element of dan dan noodles. It's a Sichuan preserved vegetable called 'mustard greens' which I saw in the market in Beijing. It looks like the mutant cousin of a bulb of garlic - unfortunately I didn't photograph it but there is a pic on wiki under 'zha cai'. the packet we used calls it ya cai, which I think is more commonly used, though I'm wondering if ya refers to the greens and zha refers to the bulb. I believe the 'suimi' part simply means 'finely chopped'. Some people seem to think you need to rinse the ya cai to reduce the saltiness - we didn't so I wouldn't bother.

The noodle dough is very similar to pasta dough, though the liquid element is approximately half egg / half water, whereas pasta tends to be wholly reliant on egg. The technique for folding and cutting the dough differed, and I would suggest employing the approach used for pasta (folding the sides in to meet in the centre and repeating, then sliding the back of the knife down the centre where the folds meet, lifting and shaking out the pasta so that the lengths fall out on either side).

~noodle dough~
200g flour
1 egg
50-60g water

Mix well and knead until smooth. Rest for 30 minutes in a bowl covered with a wet cloth. (Use this time to prepare the seasoned pork.) Roll it out until it is a large, thin piece. Dust it well with flour, fold into the centre and cut into 1cm widths.

~seasoned pork~
100g lean minced pork, marinated with 2t wine
50g Sichuan preserved vegetable (sumi ya cai)
1t minced ginger
1t minced garlic
3 spring onions (if you are using the giant Chinese spring onions, just use 1) (white part only), diced into 5mm pieces
1t light soy sauce
1/2t dark soy sauce

Heat 1T peanut or rapeseed (canola) oil in a wok. Add ginger, garlic and spring onion, stir until fragrant and add the minced pork, stirring until cooked. Add the light and dark soy sauce, stir for 30 seconds and then add the ya cai. Mix well and remove from the heat.

~sauce~
2t garlic, crushed to a paste
3 spring onions, finely chopped (or 1 Chinese spring onion)
salt (to taste - 1/4t)
1.5t sugar
1T light soy sauce
2T dark soy sauce
1T chili oil (more, to taste)
1/2t sesame oil
300ml chicken stock

Put all the sauce ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Cook the noodles for two minutes in boiling water, add some greens (po choi, spinach, or choi sum) for one minute and drain. Add to the bowl holding the sauce and top with the pork mixture. Give it a good stir. Adjust seasoning if desired (particularly chili oil), and serve.

5-minute sauce for pasta or gnocchi

1/2 cup fresh tomatoes - chopped
2T oak smoked tomatoes (chopped)
1 red chili, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1T lemon zest
1 small red onion, diced
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
Maldon
4T cream (optional)
big pinch raw sugar
Parmesan to taste (suggest 2T)

While the pasta or gnocchi is cooking, gently cook garlic, chili and onions in a saucepan with some olive oil. Once the onion softens, add tomatoes and reduce slightly. Season (including the sugar) and stir in the cream and Parmesan. Add a scattering of the strands of lemon zest. Drain the pasta or gnocchi and add to the sauce.

aubergine & chili penne

1 aubergine, chopped into 1cm square chunks
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red chili, finely chopped
chili flakes to taste
olive oil
Maldon
Parmesan
basil leaves
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes, cut into eighths
100g pancetta
freshly ground black pepper
squeeze lemon
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
pinch raw sugar

1 pkt Italian penne

heat some oil in a large pan and gently cook the onion, garlic, fresh chili and pancetta. add the aubergine and cook for several minutes. add the tomatoes and reduce slightly. season, including adding the chili flakes and sugar to taste. cook the pasta until al dente, drain and add pasta to the sauce in its pan. stir to coat, adding a handful of torn basil leaves, some grated Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon. drizzle with a little oil and serve.

spicy pancetta & basil penne

handful fresh basil
1 red chili, de-seeded and finely sliced
100g pancetta
handful sun-blushed tomatoes
penne pasta
olive oil
Maldon
freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add penne and cook until al dente. Meanwhile, gently fry pancetta and chili. Once pancetta is crisp, add roughly chopped tomatoes and cook for one minute. Turn off the heat and add 1/2 torn basil leaves, salt and pepper. Drain pasta and add to pan with rest of basil and a generous grating of Parmesan. Add slosh of olive oil as required. Toss and serve.

simple mexican salsa

tomatoes
red onion
lime juice
chili (if desired)
squeeze of lime
coriander

chop tomatoes, onion and coriander as chunkily or finely as you like. place in bowl and add lime juice and chili if desired. stir and set aside to allow flavours to intermingle.

~options~
substitute whatever you like for the tomatoes - try mango, orange, pineapple, cucumber, beans

scallops with aioli & wild rocket

3-6 scallops per person
1/2 red chili per person
1/2-1 clove garlic per person
olive oil
lemon
good quality balsamic
Maldon salt
small handful of rocket per person

Place a bunch of rocket tossed in oil, salt and balsamic on each plate. Heat 1T olive oil in pan and add garlic and chili. Then add scallops and cook. Once ready, divide the scallops amongst the plates, add a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of aioli and serve.

~aioli~
1 clove garlic, crushed
pinch lemon zest
1 egg yolk
1/2t Colman's mustard powder
1t white wine vinegar
1/4c olive oil
1/4c rapeseed/canola oil

In a bowl, use an electric whisk to beat yolk, mustard and vinegar. Gradually add oil a drizzle at a time until it reaches the consistency you like (should still be a bit runny to allow drizzling). Add salt to taste and mix in crushed garlic.

antipasto plate

1 ball of good quality bufallo mozarella
couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes
handful of red chilis
fresh basil
pesto
kalamata olives
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Cut cherry toms in half and place cutside up on a foil lined baking tray. Deseed the chilis (use mild medium sized chilis) and cut into quarters lengthways. Scatter amongst the tomatoes. Sprinkle the tomatoes with a little sugar, Maldon and freshly ground black pepper. drizzle with olive oil and put in the oven at 180C until slightly shrivelled (20 minutes or so). Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Arrange on a serving dish with pieces of mozzarella, pitted, sliced olives, torn basil and drizzled with balsamic, olive oil and pesto. serve with bread, crostini or your favourite crackers.

~optional~
add peppers, zuchinni, red onions, garlic, aubergine, beetroot etc to the roasted tomatoes

chili jam

Chili jam is the perfect accoutrement for sausages, quiche and frittata. Keep it in a jar in the fridge or make it as required.

2 cans whole peeled tomatoes or chopped tomatoes
handful of soft brown or raw sugar (to taste)
fresh or dried chili to taste
vinegar to taste

Put all ingredients into a heavy pan, stir and bring to the boil. simmer gently until thick and deep red. Put in a jar in the fridge to enjoy later or serve immediately as an accompaniment.